Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. ©Toei
Source: Arrow Films, MVD Entertainment
Special Thanks to Derek Stubinski
The Toei crime drama PROOF OF THE MAN (人間の証明, Ningen no Shōmei, 1977) will be released in September as a limited edition Blu-ray from Arrow Films.
Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. ©Toei
Movie mogul Haruki Kadokawa changed the landscape of Japanese cinema for good when he introduced the concept of the blockbuster to the country with this gripping crime drama featuring an all-star cast.
When mixed-raced Johnny Hayward (Flower Travellin’ Band vocalist Joe Yamanaka) heads from his Harlem home to Tokyo, he becomes the victim of a brutal stabbing in the elevator of a plush hotel hosting a catwalk show by elite fashion designer Kyoko (Mariko Okada). That same night, Kyoko’s son with her powerful politician husband Yohei (Toshiro Mifune) is involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident and flees the country. Suspecting the incidents may be linked, Detective Munesue (Yusaku Matsuda, THE GAME TRILOGY) heads to New York to investigate Johnny’s background. Here he is partnered with local detective Ken Shuftan (George Kennedy, AIRPORT), whose own links to Japan dredge up painful memories from Munesue’s childhood.
Adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name by Seiichi Morimura by director Junya Sato (THE BULLET TRAIN, MANHUNT) and screenwriter Zenzo Matsuyama (THE HUMAN CONDITION trilogy), and shot on location in Japan and New York by veteran cinematographer Shinsaku Himeda (PIGS AND BATTLESHIPS, VENGEANCE IS MINE), PROOF OF THE MAN is a compelling exploration of racial identity and the trauma of the postwar occupation period framed in the form of a whodunnit. Arrow Video is proud to present the film for the very first time outside Japan for the home video market in a brand new transfer sourced from a new 4K restoration by Kadokawa.
PROOF OF THE MAN Limited Edition Blu-ray
Running Time: 132 Minutes
Number of Discs: 1
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: Mono 1.0
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
US
Region Code: 0
SKU: AV650
UPC: 760137182122
Street Date: 09/09/25
List Price: $39.95
UK
Region Code: B
Barcode: 5027035027609
UK Rating: 15
Street Date: 08/09/2025
RRP: £24.99
Bonus Materials
- High-Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
- Original lossless Japanese mono audio
- Optional newly translated English subtitles
- Brand new audio commentary with Asian American film scholar Rob Buscher and DJ Skeme Richards
- Taking the Big Apple, a brand new video introduction by Asian film scholar Earl Jackson
- A Japanese Blockbuster, a brand new filmed discussion with critics and Junya Sato biographers Tatsuya Masuto and Masaaki Nomura
- Original theatrical trailers
- Image gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
- Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by film critic Michelle Kisner and scholar Alexander Zahlten
Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. ©Toei
Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. ©Toei
Photo courtesy of Arrow Films. ©Toei
About Arrow Films
Arrow Films is a leading independent entertainment distribution company, established in 1991. Operating in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, United States of America and Canada, Arrow Films is dedicated to supporting upcoming and established filmmakers of dynamic new cinema and developing an enviable slate of quality films that enjoy a lasting legacy across its award-winning branded labels, channels, and platforms.
About MVD Entertainment Group
MVD Entertainment Group is a full service music and movie distribution firm, exclusively representing thousands of audio and visual products for DVD, Bluray, CD, vinyl, and digital rights, worldwide. MVD also exclusively distributes a growing line of merchandise including limited edition collectibles, tee shirts, and more. “Serving Artists and Audiences†is MVD's purpose statement; it represents a commitment to the interests of the musicians, filmmakers, record labels, producers, managers, and every link in the supply chain. The customers are the Audience, from wholesalers, sub-distributors, major retail chains, online retailers, specialists, and independent mom and pop stores, all the way to the consumer. MVD Entertainment Group was founded in 1986 by Tom Seaman, an industry veteran with prior experience with The Record Hunter, Sam Goody, CBS Retail, and JEM Distribution. Tom, along with his family Elinor, Eve and Ed, initially focused on music videotapes. At the turn of the century, with the advent of DVD, MVD built a large catalog of exclusively distributed audiovisual content on DVDs, with special strength in music concert films, horror movies, documentaries, comedy, cult classics, and much more.